Chapter 36: The Puppet Demon Eye

The situation had escalated to its most dire point, forcing Mo Qiu to personally enter the fray and confront Saluk.

Even with the demonic power she had acquired, Mo Qiu’s body remained virtually indistinguishable from a human’s. This, naturally, presented a distinct disadvantage in combat compared to a true demon.

Yet, in this particular battle, fortune was not entirely against Mo Qiu.

Having previously clashed with Bai Chen, Saluk’s condition was considerably diminished from his peak.

The punches he hurled at Mo Qiu, both in speed and raw power, were noticeably weakened.

Even when his blows missed, striking the ground instead, they still carved a sufficiently deep indentation into the earth.

Mo Qiu, relying on her nimble movements, dodged and weaved around him, acutely aware that she could not afford even the slightest misstep. A single direct hit would undoubtedly seal the outcome of the battle.

Prolonging the fight indefinitely was not a viable strategy; though Saluk was visibly fatigued, his immense strength still seemed inexhaustible.

Mo Qiu, on the other hand, in her somewhat frantic movements, had narrowly evaded his fists multiple times.

As time wore on, her dishevelled state was hardly any better than Saluk’s.

Her elaborate skirt, though appearing heavy, was in truth as light as a bird’s feather. After several desperate entanglements, the exquisite gown had become soiled and stained, its vibrant red lace losing its former brilliance.

“Why are you running? Aren’t you supposed to be saving that human?” Saluk’s patience was wearing thin, stretched to its limit by her evasions.

Despite his words, Mo Qiu was steadily moving further away from Bai Chen’s position, her path forward continuously obstructed by Saluk’s colossal frame.

When she remained silent, Saluk let out another cold snort. “I truly don’t understand why you’re fighting so desperately. Aren’t there attractive humans everywhere? Why are you so fixated on this one ordinary fellow?”

No sooner had the words left his lips than Saluk’s expression shifted. “Could it be that you, too, desire the power hidden within him?”

“Don’t misunderstand.”

Mo Qiu swept her bothersome hair back, revealing her entire dust-streaked face.

“I’m not like a superficial brute such as yourself. Do your eyes only perceive the surface because you only know how to use raw strength?”

These words made Saluk’s mouth twitch in irritation. Just as he was about to charge, his gaze met hers, and he saw a pulsating peach-shaped symbol in her eyes.

After acquiring the demonic power, Mo Qiu had spent a considerable amount of time pondering how best to wield it. This was not a force she could fully control, and rather than simply enhancing her destructive capabilities, she had opted for a more efficient method of utilization.

Her first ability: Puppet Demon Eye.

Any target her eyes fixated upon for a certain duration would gradually lose control of their body, their autonomy slipping into her grasp. Direct eye contact, moreover, amplified this effect.

Unfortunately, to completely control someone’s mind and body, they would either have to be a mere mortal or, failing that, a lifeless corpse.

Saluk’s condition, already severely depleted by successive battles, worsened further as he met her demonic gaze. Now, breaking free would demand an even greater expenditure of his dwindling energy.

“Listen closely, Saluk.”

The girl’s eyes remained unblinking as she raised a hand to her chest, several small cards materializing between her fingertips.

“Bai Chen is not ordinary in the slightest. He is the most special.”

Saluk let out a guttural roar, and scorching black flames erupted around his body. The resulting heat wave swept outwards, forcing Mo Qiu to instinctively close her eyes.

“You all believe you can become heroes. I simply enjoy crushing the aspirations of you naive fools.”

With flames coiling around his fists, Saluk lunged forward, his hand clawing towards the girl.

As he had anticipated, Mo Qiu once again employed her substitution ability; what he crushed in his grasp was merely a mirror.

Where was she this time?

Just as Saluk searched for the girl’s form, Mo Qiu’s ethereal voice resonated from all directions.

“This is no mere illusion. A brute like you has surely never witnessed what a true savior hero looks like, have they?”

The cards that flew from her hand transformed into mirror after shimmering mirror, descending around them and completely encircling the demon.

Every single mirror reflected Mo Qiu’s image, and each of these reflections simultaneously raised a hand, sharp daggers glinting with a cold, menacing light.

“What inane nonsense are you spouting?”

Saluk frantically shattered the mirrors, one after another, and it wasn’t long before the ground beneath his feet was entirely covered in their glistening shards.

Saluk soon discovered an even more alarming development: these fragments, too, reflected Mo Qiu’s face.

Everywhere he looked, it was the same face, an utterly bizarre sight that sent a shiver down Saluk’s spine.

It was precisely because she had witnessed it that Mo Qiu was so captivated. She narrowed her eyes, took a deep breath, and the stars within her gaze once again blazed with brilliance.

Even if granted several more lifetimes, she would never forget that magnificent figure, who shone like a true sun, illuminating all creation.

Yet, such a person would ultimately cause the world’s destruction through a single, fatal error.

She could not bear it; she simply could not tolerate it. He had died just like that, utterly ignorant that he had severed the very beginning of Mo Qiu’s new life.

Even though her heart was filled with hatred, she had to ensure he once again bore the mantle of a hero and fulfilled his duty to save the world.

“Before you can truly mature, I’ll have to clean up your messes. You’ll owe me a proper repayment later.”

All the faces in the mirrors vanished simultaneously, and Saluk’s arm was suddenly slashed. Yelping in pain, he whirled around, but his flame-wreathed fist merely brushed against her clothing.

Mo Qiu swiftly darted past him, her form dissolving into the mirror fragments and vanishing from sight.

Saluk crushed the fragment underfoot, yet the girl reappeared from a different direction, leaving another wound on his body.

This pattern repeated endlessly; she moved like a nimble butterfly, each time evading Saluk’s massive hands, each time leaving a fresh wound on his flesh.

Saluk’s fury had by now accumulated to its absolute limit, yet he had no outlet for it. The shattered mirrors, now even more fragmented, paradoxically posed an even greater threat.

Mo Qiu’s second ability: Mirror Trick.

She possessed the skill to manipulate the form and composition of mirrors, utilizing them as conduits. Typically, she would compress them into thin, lightweight cards, carrying them for immediate use.

She could use a mirror as a decoy to absorb damage, or even transport herself into its internal space. If the mirror was one she had crafted herself, she could connect them to traverse between locations.

Compared to her sophisticated techniques, Saluk’s brute strength and fiery abilities seemed simplistic and crude, operating on an entirely different level.

Before long, Saluk was covered in wounds. Though individually small, their sheer number accumulated to inflict excruciating pain upon him.

He was nearing his limit.

Mo Qiu, too, was utterly exhausted. Had the situation not been so dire, she would never have devised such a physically draining application of her abilities.

Just one more cut to his leg, and the colossal monster would finally collapse.

However, just as Mo Qiu materialized once more from within the mirror space, she froze, stunned by the sight that greeted her.

“Believe it or not, I’ll kill him?”

Saluk, who had been steadily retreating, now stood beside Bai Chen, his fist hovering menacingly above the human’s head. Bai Chen’s skull, fragile in Saluk’s grasp, could be crushed with minimal effort.

Seizing upon the girl’s momentary shock, Saluk’s other hand shot out like a venomous snake striking from its lair, slamming her directly to the ground.

Mo Qiu felt as though she could hear the sound of her own bones shattering throughout her body, and the dagger slipped from her grasp, clattering to the side.

‘No, this is bad. I must…’

Before she could fully recover from the searing pain, Saluk seized her by the neck and lifted her effortlessly.

“Let’s see you run now,” Saluk sneered, his smile a bloodthirsty grin. “To think you hesitated for a mere human. How pathetic.”

Mo Qiu struggled to break free, but Saluk’s slightest increase in pressure immediately choked off her breath, sending her body into convulsions.

‘No, my blood… it can’t circulate.’

Saluk’s arrogant face, along with Bai Chen’s prone form on the ground, began to blur rapidly before her eyes.

“Any last words before you die?” Saluk asked with a laugh.

“…Your…”

Mo Qiu parted her lips, straining to force out the words.

“Has your mission been completed? Have you… obtained the item?”

“What?” Saluk froze, taken aback.

“Has it… not yet been handed over to your… superior?” The girl’s lips curved into a smile, an unsettling, almost horrifying expression.

“How do you know…” Saluk immediately clamped his mouth shut, realizing he couldn’t possibly let her live.

‘Not even Aiqi knows about my mission. How could she… This woman must die!’

Just as Saluk was about to exert his full strength, Mo Qiu’s hand finally grasped an object. She thrust it before Saluk’s face and pressed it down with all her might.

“Aaaargh!”

The demon, sprayed directly in the face, shrieked in agony as the liberated girl plummeted to the ground, greedily gasping for fresh air.

“What have you done to me?”

Saluk felt his body rapidly weakening; soon, even standing upright became an arduous task.

“A little surprise.”

Mo Qiu shook the anti-demon spray in her hand, then aimed it directly at his eyes.

Pffft—

“Aaaargh!”

Only after emptying the entire can of spray did Mo Qiu discard it. She then retrieved her dagger and approached Saluk.

The now severely weakened Saluk was on all fours, struggling even to crawl away. His lion-like face had completely lost its ferocity, resembling a large chihuahua.

Clang.

A black metallic object clattered from his embrace. Saluk reached out to retrieve it, but Mo Qiu snatched it away first.

Mo Qiu’s lips curled into a smile, the stars in her eyes seeming to mock him.

“How delightful, Saluk. I doubt I’ll ever forget you.”

“The Imperial Organization… will not… let you go…”

“Save your breath.”

The card in Mo Qiu’s hand was as dazzling in Saluk’s eyes as her smile.

“This last card was prepared especially for you. Remember to be grateful.”

Having dealt with Saluk, Mo Qiu thought to herself, ‘Finally, I don’t have to see that scowling face anymore.’

This battle, at last, was over.

She exhaled, dragging her injured body towards Bai Chen.

Flipping him onto his back, the girl straddled him, placing her palm on his chest and slowly moving it upwards.

“This is all your fault, Bai Chen.”

Mo Qiu removed her mask. In her deep-sea eyes, there was now a bottomless whirlpool.

“Why couldn’t you have performed better?”

‘Barely passing isn’t nearly enough; I always have to clean up your mess.’

“Do you even consider yourself a hero? Answer me!”

Bai Chen remained unresponsive, his eyes still closed.

Mo Qiu’s hand paused at his neck, slowly closing around it.

“Do you know how much I hate you? I wish I could drag you into the abyss right now, to repay what you owed me in your last life!”

Mo Qiu’s dull pupils trembled. The legs gripping his waist gradually tightened, ensuring that even if he awoke in pain, he wouldn’t have a chance to escape.

“I acknowledge you, but you failed to give me the most satisfactory outcome. You… you…!”

A fleeting image flashed through her mind: his vibrant, energetic face from when he was still conscious. The warmth emanating from those expressions was simply too intense for Mo Qiu, who was accustomed to darkness and cold.

Mo Qiu’s trembling hand slowly relaxed, stroking his cheek, a gesture filled with weariness and helplessness, much like the heavy sigh she let out.